Huang Kan, a famous master of Chinese studies in the Republic of China, was a master of Chinese studies. At that time, his primary school kungfu (especially phonology) was almost unique in the world, but he was more profound academically. He successively worshipped Zhang Taiyan and Liu Shipei as teachers and respected them for life. Liu Shipei, in particular, is only two years older than Huang Kan, and they were good friends as early as in Japan. However, in order to learn the true meaning of Confucian classics from Liu Shipei, Huang Kan decided to worship him as a teacher, and made a gift of worship. After that, he always treated him with courtesy. Even though his academic achievements have long been called "the study of Zhang Huang" by the world, he still did not change his way of respecting teachers and passed it down as a much-told story.
When Huang Kan was teaching at Peking University, he saw a poem by Tao Yuanming one morning while preparing lessons, but he didn't know where the allusion was. Huang Kan went to ask Liu Shipei, and Liu Shipei said, Let me think about it and tell you later. Huang Kan said it was too late, so I hurried to ask Zhang Taiyan, who was brushing his teeth. After listening, he immediately told me the source of this book. When Huang Kan came back from Zhang Taiyan, he made a detour to see Liu Shipei. Liu Shipei also remembered that the source was exactly the same as Zhang Taiyan. From then on, Huang Kan had more respect for the two teachers.
Liu Shipei is famous all over the world for his research on Zuo's Biography in the Spring and Autumn Period, and it is a family heirloom. Therefore, even Zhang Taiyan should be given some points. Unfortunately, such a scholar's calligraphy is extremely poor. When he took the imperial examination, he was described by the examiner as "words are like patterned feet, and ugliness is not a book." I didn't want to be admitted, but I saw a beautiful sentence in her poem, "Mulan is old and I am still disabled, laughing and pointing out that the flowers are empty and self-doubt", and finally she was listed as the first. Zhou Zuoren also commented on Liu Shipei's poor handwriting: Although Liu's writing is excellent, his handwriting is "really terrible, almost similar to that of a child, and he doesn't care about the order of strokes".
As for Zhang Taiyan, his knowledge is extensive and profound, and his disciples are numerous. In the academic history of China in the 2th century, "Zhang Men's disciples" have already spread all over the region, and there are almost countless people who have become famous. As long as the names of Huang Kan, Qian Xuantong and Zhou Brothers are mentioned, which one is not well known. His scholarship is both broad and profound, and few people can match it in the academic circles in the 2 th century. As for calligraphy, it is even more unique. As for the book, which even Lu Xun can't understand, it's naturally difficult and mediocre, like us. It's natural not to understand it, so don't mention it.
So, who is more knowledgeable, the two of them, or their disciple Huang Kan? Is it because Zhang Taiyan answers Huang Kan's questions with his mouth open that he is more knowledgeable? I'm afraid I can't say that. In short, knowledge depends not only on how much you know, but also on how much you understand and invent. Huang Kan thinks that it is more important and more difficult to study China's scholarship and to invent than to discover. The reason is very simple. Discovery didn't exist before, but now it has appeared, and it just happened to be discovered by you. Naturally, it is your achievement. But the invention is where people are already familiar with it. It is naturally more rare to use common materials to see problems that have not been seen by predecessors and make new conclusions. (I wrote this article only to arouse the interest of some students. Better late than never.)